“Shane Watson was one of the most exciting short-form players ever to grace a cricket field,” he said.

“In a career which spanned almost two decades Shane made a major contribution to Australian cricket firstly at international level and then in domestic cricket as a significant contributor to the Big Bash.

“Talented, skillful and powerful, Shane was a devastating batsman at his best.”

Watson played more than 700 international and domestic matches in total, scoring over 25,000 runs and claiming in excess of 600 wickets.

He is the only Sydney Thunder batsman to score more than a 1,000 runs and head coach Shane Bond called him “the ultimate professional”.

“He cared about the team and the players and was hugely respected in the dressing room. We’re really going to miss what he brings to the team and he will be a big loss.” he said.